Chapter 3 Research Methodology - DSpace@UM

Chapter 3Research Methodology3.1 IntroductionThis chapter presents research methodologies employed in developing E-Multimedia Mathematics Learning System (EMMLS). It covers the targeted respondents,research methods, research materials, data collection and analysis techniques, softwaredevelopment methodology, and the timeframe estimated to complete the development of E-Multimedia Mathematics Learning System (EMMLS).3.2 Targeted RespondentsThis research targeted on lower secondary school students in Malaysia whom willbe sitting for Penilaian Menengah Rendah (Lower Secondary Examination). The datacollection was conducted in SMK Assunta located in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia. Asample of four hundred seventy three students from SMK Assunta had participated in thisresearch. Two teachers teaching Mathematics were also involved in the data collection.3.3 Research MethodologiesQualitative and quantitative methodologies were both employed in this study.Qualitative research investigates attitudes, behavior, people’s concerns and experiencesthrough methods such as interviews, focus groups, emails, observations anddocumentations or online journals which have less interaction with the respondents and is27

time consuming in collecting and analyzing the normally unstructured materials.Quantitative research on the other hand is comparable much quicker than qualitativeresearch. Quantitative research uses surveys or questionnaires to seek for more preciseanalysis, quantifying and generating a statistical model to be more efficiently present anddeliver the subject matter (Hancock, 2002).Research methodologies used in this study are questionnaires (refer to Appendix B),observations and interviews (refer to Appendix C). Questionnaires are distributed to thestudents in order to accurately gather students’ insight and preferences on how they wantedthe proposed learning system to be developed. The approach was for data collectionpurposes for the following reasons:(i) Quick and high response rate – Distributed directly to the respondents and collectedby the researcher.(ii) Data collected are in consistent manners and is comparable, respondents respond onthe same piece of survey form.(iii)Less time and energy are required to monitor the whole data collection process.(iv)Less time spent in data analysis(v) Researcher able to get the data that they intended to get.However, one major shortcoming in using this technique is that informationcollected may be too brief to represent the respondents’ true opinions. Respondents mightanswer the questionnaires under peer influence or in a way to please the researcher.Therefore, observation is carried out to investigate the classroom activities on how teachingand learning activities are conducted to have a better understanding of the characteristics ofthe learners and the teachers. Observation is considered as one of the approach in data28

validation. The real classroom situation is observed especially on students’ behaviors andattitudes towards learning Mathematics. Observations were documented and analyzed.Interviews were then conducted with the Mathematics teachers teaching the classesto have an in-depth understanding on students’ learning behaviors and learning preferences,and to further validate the conclusions drawn from the questionnaire analysis andobservations made. In doing the analysis, teaching pedagogies are also discussed.At the end of the research, feedback forms are distributed to users for EMMLSsystem evaluation purposes. This is to get users’ opinions and responses regarding thewhole learning process using EMMLS and to measure users’ satisfaction level.3.4 Software Development MethodologySoftware development methodology is a descriptive or prescriptive characterizationof how software is or should be developed (Ragunath et al., 2010). A descriptive modeldescribes the history of how a particular software system was developed. Descriptivemodels may be used as the basis for understanding and improving software developmentprocesses or for building empirically grounded prescriptive models (Larman and Basili,2003). Comparative analysis of system development methodologies was made and a briefdescription of each methodology is explained in Table 3.1.29

Table 3.1: Description of Software Development Methodologies (Adopted fromFreetutes.com)Software Development MethodologyWaterfall ModelPrototypingSpiral ModelRapid Application DevelopmentDescriptionsAn approach design system in a linear andsequential manner, each stage has to be completedbefore moving to the next stage.A risk-reduced approach where system design isbreaking down into smaller segment; prototype ismodified iteratively throughout the developmentprocess.An approach involves repetitions of the samesequence of steps, best to accommodate changingrequirements.Advocates delivery of high quality system in arapid, fast development environment.Each of the methodology mentioned above has its individual merits. Waterfallmodel was the first introduced process model in system development life cycle model.Most projects are believed can be delivered using with Waterfall methodology (Mochal,2001). Waterfall model describes a linear and sequential development method. One stagemust be completed before proceeds to the next stage, where overlapping and turning backare not allowed (Freetutes.com, 2007). Spiral Model required repetitions of the samesequence of steps, best to accommodate changing requirements especially for large scaleprojects. The iteration of the phases helps dealing with problems when the same phase isrepeated next time followed by planning and developing strategies. The four phases inSpiral Model are consists of Planning, Risk Analysis, Engineering and CustomerEvaluation. It overcomes the disadvantages in Waterfall model, but to follow this model,30

highly skilled people is required and the iterative process somehow demand more time andhigher costs (Parekh, 2005). For prototyping approach, prototypes are developed afterprototypes until the software is perfect. A simple prototype is built from a simple conceptand is then improvised little by little in real time environment. The withdrawn forprototyping approach is that, if there are any changes, it has to go back to the drawingboard, causing more time to be wasted (geekinterview.com, 2008). In Rapid ApplicationDevelopment (RAD), it focuses on smaller projects that can be launched quickly andconcluded with tangible deliveries. It also requires active and continuous involvement ofclients in the phases of planning, analysis and testing throughout the repetitive prototypingprocess. Both RAD and prototype approaches will not work if it is hard to engage users inan ongoing basis during the development phase (Mochal, 2001).The Waterfall model was chosen as the EMMLS software developmentmethodology based on the following (Wikipedia, 2010):(i) It is a well-structured, well-documented and disciplined methodology.(ii) Each stage is ensured 100% completeness and errorless before proceeding to thenext stage.(iii)Thorough analysis has to be carried out; program design must be perfected beforesystem development phase.(iv) Works is divided into modules/units before actual coding is started. Each unit isdeveloped and tested for its functionality.(v) Time and efforts saved due to its awareness of actual requirement and problemstatements in early stage of development.(vi)Well-documented along the development process to avoid data loss and allowednew comers to familiarize themselves by reading the existing documentation.31

RequirementAnalysisSystemDesignDevelopmentSystemDevelopmentMaintenanceSystemTestingSystemImplementationFigure 3.1: Waterfall Model (Adopted from eserver.org)Referring to Figure 3.1, Waterfall model consists of two phases, developmentphase and maintenance phase. In development phase, requirements are first gathered beforesystem design stage is started. In system design stage, it identifies the hardware and overallsystem architecture based on the users’ requirements. Upon receiving the completerequirements and design documentations, actual coding is started. Next, a thorough systemtesting will be carried out before the system is implemented. The Waterfall model isvirtually never ending phase, maintenance phase will be taken place once the system isfully developed. In this phase, the five stages in Waterfall model will be carried out againstthe sequence in the development phase. System testing is now carried out after theimplementation stage in order to find problems which are not found during thedevelopment life cycle.32

Nevertheless, in Waterfall model, its well-structured approach caused inflexibilityin adapting to new requirements and changes. Therefore, each stage in the systemdevelopment must be perfectly implemented before next development stage gets started. Toadopt Waterfall model, it is important to be aware of the exact requirements needed and allprogram functionalities must be well-planned.3.4.1 E-Multimedia Mathematics Learning System (EMMLS) and Waterfall Modeli. Requirement AnalysisIn this stage, requirements are gathered using data collection instruments suchas questionnaires, observations and interviews. Respondents consist of studentsfrom lower secondary school from SMK Assunta and teachers teachingMathematics. Both qualitative and quantitative research outcomes wereanalyzed and summarized.ii. System Designa) In this phase, activity diagram, sequence diagram, state machine diagram andclass diagram were drawn to represent the flow of information and objectsinvolved in EMMLS’s development. Activity diagram is used to show theworkflows of functionalities in EMMLS. Sequence diagram describes theprocesses and relationship among the objects in the EMMLS, the messagesexchanged between the objects and the sequence of occurrences in graphicalmanner. State machine diagram on the other hand is used to explain thebehavior of EMMLS, the inputs, conditions required and the outputs produced.Class diagram at the end analyzes and summarizes the processes and objects33

involved to design structured classes in EMMLS including the classes’attributes and relationship.b) Next, database design which consists of normalized tables and theirsdependency is clearly defined to keep data consistency for easy queries andmanipulation.c) Before proceeding to the system development phase, a complete list of thehardware and software needed are determined and installed.iii. System DevelopmentMajor functionalities are broken into smaller modules for easy coding. Vb.net isused as the main coding language in developing EMMLS. The wholedevelopment processes are well-documented for the use of references and futureenhancements.iv. System TestingSystem functionalities are tested by targeted users (teachers and students ofSMK Assunta). Feedbacks are gathered and bugs are identified. A testing logrecords the information about the tested modules, expected actions and remarksfrom users.v. System ImplementationDeployment stage where the final product is ready to be tested by users.vi. MaintenanceMaintenance works is critical in EMMLS since Waterfall model adopted has theonly one main release at the end of the development phase. Issues or problemsarise during the deployment stage needed to be resolved from time to time toimprove the system performance. It includes spell check, to ensure the site is34

free from typos and grammatically incorrect sentences. Apart from that,contents of EMMLS are updated regularly such as add new quizzes to keepusers interested.35

3.5 Time Frame for EMMLS DevelopmentFigure 3.2.The development of EMMLS has been monitored using a Gantt chart as shown inFigure 3.2: Gantt Chart for EMMLS Development36

3.6 Chapter summaryResearch methodologies adopted in this study includes questionnaire, observationand interview. The questionnaire employed consists of both close-ended and open-endedquestions. The questionnaires are used to investigate learners’ preferences and styles inlearning. Observation, one of the strong validity research methodologies is then carried outto further investigate the real classroom situation on how teaching and learning activitiesare conducted. To validate the conclusions drawn from questionnaire analysis andobservations, Mathematics teachers from the lower secondary form were also interviewed.Several software development life cycle process models were discussed and waterfallmodel is found most suitable as the software development methodology for EMMLS.37